New Milford polling place forced to overcome obstacles

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Two weeks ago, during a referendum, some voters complained that until the roadblock was temporarily lifted they were unable to reach the poll and turned around and went home.

For the municipal election, poll workers feared they might encounter a similar problem, but without notice the town reopened the road.

Unfortunately, Lanesville election official Helen Leary said not all the voters assigned to the polling place were made aware the road would be open, so they traveled out of their way to enter from Route 7, where a police officer directed traffic. She said she hopes no one skipped voting due to the confusion.

At rush hour the Lanesville fire station had a steady stream of voters filling up the dozen voting carousels, some bringing their young children with them. A few voters needed lessons on how to use the new ballots -- a circle by chosen candidates' names is filled in with black marker before the sheet is slipped into a computerized scanner.

A few botched the first try and required a new sheet, but each polling place had a spoiled-ballot folder.

Leary said she and her fellow poll workers heard their fair share of complaints about the new voting system but encountered very few real problems.

As for the actual voting, Sherry said the bubbles on the written ballots were so tiny she borrowed glasses from her husband, Robert, a Republican Board of Finance candidate, who voted in the booth next to hers.